Millpond draining as officials seek solution

Rolland Township Supervisor Dan Shaw hopes to have the Blanchard Millpond legally and correctly back to normal as soon as possible by working with state and federal officials to come up with a temporary fix while officials seek grant funding to replace the containment structure that failed last October. Photo-Susan Field

Nobody wants to see the Blanchard Millpond intact more than Rolland Township Supervisor Dan Shaw.

That proved to be hard to measure Tuesday, as Shaw spent a brief amount of time looking out at the water, which is now slowly draining after Isabella County Road Commission workers, under the authority of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, pulled a board Tuesday morning from the containment structure that holds water in the pond.

In the few moments Shaw was at the site, several residents followed the direction on a homemade sign near the containment apparatus, honking their horns to support keeping the pond intact.

Others yelled out of their vehicles to Shaw, applauding his recent efforts in working with state officials to find a way to keep the millpond filled, telling him to keep up the good work.

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Shaw has been doing just that, and on Tuesday said he hopes to have a solution to the dilemma caused when someone blocked off water flow last week, re-creating the millpond following a failure of the containment structure last year that drained it.

But what is of great importance to Shaw is that the millpond is restored legally and correctly, going through the proper channels.

In addition to the millpond’s aesthetic value to residents, it has quickly become home to wildlife.

A pair of Canada geese and goslings have been spotted, and Shaw said a bald eagle in years past lived in the neighboring woods.

Other wildlife has also returned, and Shaw contacted the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, speaking to representatives in Washington and East Lansing.

A solution to the situation - the DEQ requiring the millpond to be drained because there was no permit issued to refill it - is in the works and could be realized in a relatively short time span.

Shaw has also spoken to Byron Lane of the DEQ Water Resources Division, and the proposed plan is for the township to hire an inspector to take a look at the containment device, but that will require the millpond be drained.

Shaw, who said the township will meet this week to hammer out details of getting an inspector, hopes to get that person to the site as soon as possible; likely shortly after Memorial Day weekend.

Whatever that inspector recommends as a temporary fix to allow the millpond to be refilled will be followed as much as possible, and the millpond restored, Shaw said.

“That is my hope,” he said. “We’ll see what the inspector says.”

Once that stage is reached, township officials will continue working with state representatives Kevin Cotter’s and Rick Outman’s offices to apply for grants to pay for engineering and construction of a new containment structure at the site, Shaw said.

Since the pond refilled and word spread that DEQ officials said it must again be drained, residents of the Blanchard community have been outspoken about keeping the millpond, which has been in the town for more than 130 years, and is part of the municipality’s very soul.

A Facebook page supporting the millpond was started, and residents have signed petitions to keep the pond intact, although Shaw said the petition is not directed at any governmental agency but is more of an avenue for residents to express frustration over the millpond being drained.

Shaw and others have environmental concerns with the return of wildlife, and Shaw said he does not want to violate state regulations but at the same time, he does not want the wildlife habitat disturbed.

Shaw said the current containment structure was built by the Isabella County Road Commission in the 1970s and that he appreciates the road commission’s efforts to keep the millpond intact but knows that the current structure needs to be replaced.

Shaw said supporting the ecology is important and he wants to do so in a responsible manner.